Pioneering girl gaming company Purple Moon axed all its employees Thursday and shut down operations due to "industry consolidation."
The company helped bring attention to girls' preferences in the videogaming world.
"Purple Moon created a new form of entertainment -- friendship adventures for girls -- that gets to the heart of what girls love most -- relationships, friendships, richly developed characters and relevant story lines," the company said in a statement.
Company officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Purple Moon was born at Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's think tank Interval Research. It was spun out in 1996 and got a lot of press attention. Founder Brenda Laurel set Purple Moon's strategy and product plans after extensive research on the differences between boys and girls when they play.
Purple Moon offered smart, interactive CD-ROM games that focused on narratives instead of violence or stereotypical girly games. The company made three series of CD-ROMS -- one starring Rockett and her tricky negotiations through school, Secret Paths, and Starfire Soccer.
But figuring out exactly what girls want in a game, and getting them to choose more narrative games over Barbie's interactive CD-ROM, hasn't been an easy road.
Purple Moon was a player, but the girl gaming space "is dominated by Mattel," said Dave Ferguson, research analyst at PC Data. Purple Moon did US$4.7 million in sales last year, selling 175,000 units, he said.
Other big players include The Learning Company, which was bought by Mattel last December; Havas, a subsidiary of France's Vivendi SA; and smaller start-ups like Her Interactive.
Earlier this month, Purple Moon spokeswoman Karen Gould said the company dismissed four employees from its staff of 50, but said the business would continue to grow. Purple Moon had plans to release a new title, Rockett's First Dance, in March, and books with Scholastic Publishing in July.
Last April, the company tried an additional revenue stream. It started its community ware program to lure advertisers to sponsor tradable trinkets like lipstick and earrings that girls could collect from the Web site.
